Meditation requires that we still our body and mind. However, when we close our eyes in meditation, we are all bombarded by an incessant train of thoughts. These thoughts arise from the mind and distract us from the important task at hand. When we give in to our thoughts, we go from meditating to “thinkitating,” and this waylays us. How can we remain focused on the inner treasures in our meditations?
Using an instructive anecdote, the spiritual Master explained that we need to resolve to remain focused and steadfast in our meditations. Just like a rock embedded in the seabed remains steady and undisturbed despite the lashing waves, hailstorms, and changing seasons around it, so too do we need to resolve to remain still and undisturbed in the face of the myriad thoughts that inundate us. To do so, we withdraw our attention from the outer world and focus wholly and solely on God by mentally repeating God’s name. This deters the mind from sending us thoughts and keeps it focused on God. As we maintain our focus within, our attention gathers at the gateway to the inner regions. The soul then embarks on the spiritual journey to experience realms of joy, peace, tranquility, and bliss.
All the treasures are within. We can each access and partake of these treasures; it is simply a question of where we focus our attention. When we resolve to focus on God and do so with single-pointed attention, we are sure to make rapid progress on our journey Godward.
